PUFF ADDER - Pofadder

(Bitis arietans)

Length: 0.9 -1.7m - Nocturnal

Puff adders are short, stubby snakes with a triangular head distinct from the rest of the body. Usually found on the ground and very active after sunset. Have large fangs situated in the front of the mouth. When fangs are not in use they fold back against the roof of the mouth. The Puff Adder accounts for about 60% of serious snakebites in Southern Africa. Puff Adders are widespread throughout Southern Africa at both low and high altitudes but excluding forests and extreme deserts.
Puff Adders, like all snakes, are carnivorous. Venomous snakes like the Puff Adder produce and store venom in modified salivary glands, which are situated on the upper jaw, more or less behind the eyes, and at the side of the head. Saliva is one of the digestive juice secreted by animals and is particularly important to snakes, as they cannot chew their food and have to swallow it whole. As large food items are swallowed, snakes can dislocate their lower jaw and this enables them to swallow prey that is several times larger than the girth of the snake. Snakes have no eyelids and therefore cannot blink or cover their eyes. Their vision is generally good but they tend to ignore stationary objects.

Puff Adders swim well, usually on the surface with undulating movements of the body. Enemies, other than man, include birds of prey, warthog and other snakes. Large Snouted (Egyptian) Cobras in particular, are known to swallow adult Puff Adders. This snake does not strike backwards as is erroneously believed.